Tactics rule the roost as F1 drivers face challenging Monaco test

Metro’s Adam Hay-Nicholls looks forward to the Monaco Grand Prix – always the most glamorous and often one of the most eventful races of the season

My other car is a yacht: Fernando Alonso steers his Ferrari in first practice for the Monaco (Picture: Reuters)

‘Anything can happen in Monaco and it usually does,’ Murray Walker famously quipped.It has all the elements you need: punishing tyre walls, incessant corners and, because it’s not a high-speed circuit dependent on the car’s aerodynamics, it is a great leveller.But one single mistake and a whole weekend can be ruined. It’s so easy to touch a barrier in Monaco and leave your mechanics in a frenzy.Qualifying is key because – even with modern aids – overtaking is only for the most hairy-chested.Michael Schumacher, who is enduring his worst start to a season, is hoping to put things right this weekend.But his last win here was 11 years ago, and he’s facing a five-place grid penalty for punting off Bruno Senna, in Barcelona.He can take heart Mercedes and Ferrari-engined cars may have the edge on the Renault-powered teams.The Renault, which gives the Lotus, Red Bull and Williams their grunt, does not have the low-end torque of its competitors and, with slow-speed exits, getting the power down here is key.Nevertheless, Lotus’ Romain Grosjean was consistently fastest in Wednesday morning’s practice session, only to be edged out by Fernando Alonso at the very end.

Local resident Lewis Hamilton (right) will be on familiar ground in Monaco (Picture: Reuters)

But Lewis Hamilton has been this year’s qualifying star. He has yet to convert it into a win in 2012 but he loves Monaco.His win in 2008 was one of his best, and now he can call himself a local having moved here recently from Switzerland.‘To be able to wake up in your own bed and drive down the road and be at work is a fantastic feeling,’ he said.A quarter of F1’s corps of drivers lives in the Principality, including the winner of the last race, Pastor Maldonado.The Venezuelan proved a Monaco master in the lower formulae and is hoping to follow up his sensational performance in Spain with another trophy-earner.